American Pie
by Anmylica
Summary: "Bloody hell Sirius, where'd you come from?"  And sure enough, there Sirius stood, sopping wet and looking as if he had just traveled across several counties. "From London, where else?" said Sirius. "Can I come in?"
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This story, and all subsequent chapters, is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The lyrics are borrowed from the following, but are not limited to: Don McLean and various other writers, producers, and record labels.

Author's Note: Welcome to my newest novel-length work! I have had this developing for some time now, and I was going to wait to being publishing until I finished many more chapters, but inspiration finally struck and I think I'm on my way to having some good material written down soon. I don't know how often I will be able to update this, because it depends on how quickly I can get the third chapter typed, but I'm hoping to get a schedule nailed down to every couple of weeks. I am about eight weeks away from finishing my bachelor's degree, so that has to take priority.

This is a James/Lily fanfiction. I gain my inspiration from Don McLean's "American Pie." Yes, I know it's not British. But I really think parts can be used to highlight the story of James, Lily, and the first Wizarding War in general. I use specific lyrics in the beginning of each chapter as inspiration for that chapter. You could say they're prompts, of a sort. Each set of lyrics has a specific meaning that I try to convey in each chapter; whether it's obvious or not is for you to decide. With that said, I hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!

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American Pie

Chapter One

"…_Well, I know that you're in love with him 'cause I saw you dancing in the gym. You both kicked off your shoes Man, I dig those rhythm and blues…"_

He didn't know why he did it; when asked by his mates what possessed him to eavesdrop on their fellow sixth year Gryffindor girls, he'd grin and reply, "All's fair in love and war between the sexes," and carry on smirking smugly as the four boys pored over the transcription of the conversation between Lily and Mary and the other Gryffindor girls. All he knew when he heard his name being spoken was that this, _this,_ could be the key to finally understanding what it was that girls wanted. As a sixteen-year-old wizard, Sirius rather thought this was a brilliant idea; given the trouble he and his friends always seemed to have when it came to dealing with girls.

He had been in the middle of sneaking out on another late-night excursion to the kitchens when he first heard the conversation. He wasn't worried about being caught; he had James' invisibility cloak and had planned a prank to explain why the portrait was suddenly opening of its own accord over the portrait hole. The map was currently in his left back pocket and he was in no hurry to get there or to get back. He had just rigged the portrait hole to explode in fireworks upon being opened when he realized the tone of the conversation.

"…Black never tries to talk any sense into the git, he just lets him amble along like a troll in a tea shoppe. Quite frankly, I just wish even _one_ of them would get it through his thick skull already!" The words came from none other than one Lily Evans. Now, normally, Sirius would have rolled his eyes and disregarded the redhead's words; he liked Lily well enough, but she wasn't exactly a close friend of his. It was the next sentence, however, that caught his total attention.

"Oh Lily, come on! Face it, you fancy Potter," Marlene McKinnon contradicted her. Sirius stopped just as he was about to open the portrait hole.

"Marlene, I'm not saying I don't like _him_ him, I just don't like the him that always seems to come out every time I'm around!" exclaimed Lily. She shook her head and turned to watch the flames coming out of the grate in the fireplace. "He's a total different person when I'm not there. I see it all the time. It's amazing how many split personalities he seems to possess!" Sirius watched as she shrugged her shoulders and seemed to sink into the armchair she currently occupied. Slowly, a grin began to form. Sirius looked around the common room and, upon spying a stray quill and inkwell, proceeded to carefully take the items under the cloak so as not to alert the girls of his presence and edged as near as he dared. Waving a wand and thinking a nonverbal recording spell, the quill began to write everything the girls said on a piece of parchment Sirius had just conjured.

"So wait, Lily," Alice asked, "you don't hate him?"

"In all honesty, no. He's not a bad person. He just acts like a total moron."

Sirius watched as Lily rubbed her eyes as the other girls looked on in disbelief. Marlene and Emmeline exchanged curious glances and Mary said, "Then why do you always act as if you can't stand to be in the same room with him?"

"That's because I can't stand to be in the same room as him and other people. He always acts a complete fool if we're anywhere near a crowd. Remember that day in fifth year?" The other four girls nodded hesitantly, knowing full well that Lily was talking about that day after their defense against the dark arts OWL when James hexed Snape, causing the Slytherin boy and Lily to lose whatever friendship they had had before that incident. "I was watching him out of the corner of my eye. He kept running his hand through his hair and glancing over towards us every few moments to see if he was having any effect on me." Sirius had to stifle a chuckle as he watched Lily roll her eyes. "Then, he gave me an ultimatum of going out with him or continuing to see him engaging in bad habits and behaviors he shouldn't even think of doing!"

"I see your point," said Mary. "It would be a bit embarrassing being treated in that way."

Lily shook her head. "It's not so much embarrassing as it is annoying. I fancy the idiot, and Merlin only knows why. But he always acts so childish and immature, how can I give him a chance when he's always doing the wrong thing to convince me to give him that chance in the first place? I can't, not until he grows up and quits bullying people and acting like he's Merlin's gift to witches, and least of all trying to bribe me into going on a date with him. He has no idea of what romance is about, and even less of an idea of what actually makes something romantic. Telling me that if I go out with him he'll never curse Snape again, for example, is NOT romantic."

The girls laughed at that. "He certainly seems to think bribery is the best way to get you to agree to go out with him," Marlene grinned. "It's too bad none of us are recording this conversation, maybe if we sent him a copy he'd finally wake up a bit as to how to get girls to agree to dates."

"No, I don't think that would still be enough," Mary retorted, "He still wouldn't know how to go about talking to girls. He'd only know what _not_ to do." The five girls giggled at the expression they imagined would come across his face if he were ever asked how to implement the advice the girls wanted to give him.

"Well, maybe he'll come back a bit more mature next year," Alice said reasonably. "After all, especially with You-Know-Who around, I think we'll all probably grow up a lot in the course of this summer."

"I hope so Alice. If there's one thing I ever noticed, it's how unaware he is of everything he has. He has a loving family, friends that are always there for him and don't want to have anything to do with the Dark Arts, gets good grades, is talented at Quidditch, and is actually very intelligent. He takes everything for granted, though." Lily paused and looked down at her sock covered feet.

Emmeline wrapped Lily in an embrace. "It's alright love. Tomorrow is the official beginning to a new summer, after all."

Marlene smiled softly. "Another summer, another year. It's amazing to think we only have one more year left before our education ends. What are we all going to do after this?"

"I'm hoping to be an Auror," Alice said.

"I'm not sure yet," Emmeline replied and Mary agreed.

"I think I want to do something to help the advancement of Muggleborns. That, or operate my own potion-making service," Lily amended her answer after a moment and grinned at the four girls.

"I like your idea about helping Muggleborns, Lily. That's definitely something that needs to be focused on in this present climate," Marlene mused. Silence fell over the group as they all thought about the predicament they were currently facing, even with being still in school. The prospect of having to leave the safe haven that is Hogwarts School was daunting at best. Sirius, upon seeing that the conversation of why James was an insufferable idiot was coming to a close, grabbed the quill and stuffed it in his pocket. As quietly as he could, he folded the parchment and held it carefully in his hand, leaving the inkwell in its place on the desk he had located to upon beginning his eavesdropping. He stood as fast as he dared and moved towards the staircase, not noticing that as he did so, part of the cloak slipped off.

He heard a gasp just as he put his first foot on the stairs, and turned around to see if there was going to be more of the conversation that would prove valuable. Sirius froze, however, when he realized that Marlene was staring at him in surprise and that the cloak had slipped. Quickly, he made a shushing gesture towards her and mouthed, 'I'll explain later.' Eyes still slightly wide, she gave the barest of nods. The other four Gryffindor sixth years noticed none of this exchange, and Sirius slipped up the stairs, confident that Marlene would not give him away, at least not to Lily. Just as he was opening the door, he heard Marlene say, "It's getting late; we should head off to bed. The train leaves tomorrow after all," and the sounds of clothes rustling could be heard as they all stood to head to their beds. Sirius smirked as he entered the dormitory and showed his bounty to the other four boys in the room.

"Are you sure you can't come," James inquired of the three boys who were huddled together on Platform 9 ¾, waiting for the moment when they would reluctantly part for the summer holidays.

"Very sure. My parents want me to attend a clinic somewhere in the south of France to help with my 'furry little problem," Remus replied. "I probably won't be able to come 'til at least August, and that's at the earliest."

"Dear old Mum is having a family reunion. There's no way out of it, mate," Sirius said dully.

"My parents and I are vacationing in Majorca," Peter shook his head.

James shook his head, furious at the luck that forced their group to be disbanded. Scowling, he told them all, "Don't worry about it then. Just write and when we can get together, you can come over then. He raised his hand and ruffled his hair, responding to his mates' good-byes before turning in search of his parents. He saw Lily meeting her parents. As the Evans family left, he spotted his mother near the entrance to the platform; she smiled and waved when she saw he was looking at her. James sighed and pushing the trolley that held his trunk and owl towards her, not really wanting to spend this summer without his best mates but still glad to be able to be back home.

James was now, officially, bored. Normally, he would have been cavorting and causing all sorts of mischief with his three friends, but each had had their own obligations to fill that summer, and so he was for all intents and purposes left to his own devices. Even the fellow witches and wizards who lived in Godric's Hollow were unable to join him in his frolics due to an outbreak of dragonpox in the quiet little village. To vent his frustrations at being left on his own, he kicked a rock lying beside his drive. He didn't even have the pleasure of taking a quick trip to Diagon Alley; his mother felt it too unsafe for him to travel there alone. Sighing at his misfortune, he turned from his drive and took refuge under an elm tree that took up part of his front yard. Wishing for once that something interested would happen in this sleepy village he ruffled his hair absentmindedly. He closed his eyes and began to let his mind drift into daydreams of what he could be doing with his friends had they all been able to come stay that summer.

"James, you've an owl. It's from your uncle," his mother called out to him from the front door. Sighing, he stood up, brushed the seat of his jeans to remove the twigs and dead leaves, and strode towards the house. Upon entering, he kicked off his shoes and followed his mother into the kitchen. Slumping against the table he opened it and read the brief contents.

"Apparently Sirius is driving his family bonkers. Uncle Charlus says so far he's charmed the silver to tap-dance across the table whenever someone tries to eat or drink, rigged the doorways so everyone trips whenever they enter or exit a room, and he's managed to convince Regulus that there are pixies hiding in his wardrobe. Apparently Walburga has threatened to disown him, he's done so much," James told his mother with a slight smile.

"It's good to know Sirius is doing well," Mrs. Potter grinned.

James grinned back, but after a moment, frowned. "He also says Regulus has hinted about joining the Death Eaters."

At this, his mother frowned as well but said nothing. It was, after all, common knowledge that Walburga and Orion's family, at least most of them, were big supporters of You-Know-Who's campaign. Charlus and Dorea Potter were both pureblooded, and Dorea was a bit haughty when it came to a person's lineage, but thankfully neither believed in eradicating those who were not pureblooded just for the sake of it.

After a moment, James' mother said, "Your father should be home soon."

"Has he had to work much lately? Your last letter didn't say, Mum."

Mrs. Potter sighed, "Yes, he's had to work a lot. He's rarely home for more than a few hours there's been so many accidents he's had to work." She turned from James and took out the kettle for tea. Once the pot was filled and the water charmed to boil and she had placed the leaves in to steep, she turned back to her son. "When he gets home you can question him about it then. Now tell me what you've been doing since you wrote your last letter. Has that Lily Evans finally agreed to go on a date with you?" She grinned and looked at James expectantly.

James sighed, "No she hasn't. I don't know what to do about that."

"I find that just being yourself often works better than you think." She turned and began pouring two cups of tea, not noticing James' look of doubt. He had tried being himself so much even he was sick of it, all of which had been to no avail. Not that he was going to tell his mother he didn't think that was the best course of action anymore; he'd rather just make a complete arse of himself instead, if only to break up the monotony a little. And no matter what Sirius thought, that transcription of the girls' conversation from yesterday didn't make the answer any clearer as to what he had to do to get his chance.

The mother and son duo conversed on several topics, including why the May prank on the Hufflepuffs went wrong, his marks in his classes, Sirius' plans to get a motorbike upon leaving school and enchanting it to fly (something Mrs. Potter wholeheartedly disapproved of, but James himself thought was a brilliant idea), and the strange occurrences and events that have been happening in the wizarding world. You-Know-Who was wreaking havoc on every corner of the world, both wizarding and Muggle in the British Isles, and it was believed that he was the source of myriad disappearances for many members of pureblood families. The Daily Prophet, James learned, was only reporting about half the occurrences that happened.

It was just as their house elf had finished dinner that James' father came home. The last time James saw the elder man was back during the Easter hols, but upon first glance, James knew something was dreadfully wrong with Julius Potter. His skin had a faint green twinge, and even as Julius clapped him on the back, looked greener still.

"Dad, you don't look so great. You're not getting dragonpox too, are you?"

"Oh, James, m'boy, I'm fine. Sharp as a sneakoscope, as a matter of fact!"

"But Dad-"

"Oh, James, enough about me. How'd your last term go? Still giving those Slytherin berks hell?" Julius sat down at the dinner table just as his wife came in levitating the shepherd's pie they would have for their evening meal. James and his mother shared a glance, but no more was said. Instead, James began recounting the tale of the prank against the Hufflepuffs that went askew, his latest marks in Transfiguration, and Sirius' escapades at the Black family reunion. His father laughed in all the right places, asked questions when he needed to, and ate a healthy portion of the meal, but still James felt as if something wasn't quite right.

His father never complained of feeling ill or made any mention of a possibility of being under the weather, and so James decided by the time the evening was over to put it out of his mind. He didn't consider how that might come to haunt him one day, and that putting it out of his mind just might be one of his biggest regrets; James just simply didn't think of the consequences. He was quite glad his father was home and wasn't about to question any abnormalities.

"It still amazes me that Sirius hasn't run away," Mr. Potter shook his head. "If it were me, I'd have done a bunk a long time ago. He's a true Gryffindor, that's for certain."

"Now, Julius, don't go giving James any ideas. If Sirius wants to leave that mess of a family, then he can come up with it on his own. He might be putting up with it so he can make sure he gets his inheritance. You never know with that boy." Mrs. Potter scowled at her husband, while James looked on grinning.

"Godiva, you can't tell me he's happy with that lot, just as you can't tell me Sirius wouldn't ever leave that rot. All that pureblood nonsense. I still don't understand how my brother married one of them."

"Aunt Dorea's not that bad, Dad," James interjected. "She's a bit standoffish, I'll admit, but she doesn't support the Dark Arts."

"No, she's doesn't support the Dark Arts, you're right. But I promise you, she thinks just like all those other Blacks do, that since she's a member of the Black family, she's wizarding royalty. Hell, they're not even from the British Isles! No one ever remembers, but they're no more Britons than our house elf! They came over here from Normandy during the Norman Conquest and have been here ever since. Seems to me that the blood was purer on this side of the English Channel; after all, the ancestor who came here was quite wealthy there; had a title and everything! They just like pretending they're one of us so their sons and daughters can marry high up in the wizarding society we Britons struggled to achieve!"

"Wouldn't that make the Blacks descendants of Vikings, then, dear? If they are descendants from Normandy?" Mrs. Potter asked.

"I'm sure the fathers got Vikings to marry their daughters, yes, but that doesn't change the fact that they're French!"

James chuckled at his dad. Julius probably knew more about the lineages of the wizarding families of the United Kingdom than any other wizard to date. He never understood why his father wanted to work in the Magical Accidents and Catastrophes department of the Ministry when he could just write a book on the history of the pureblooded families and other historical events that impacted wizarding society alongside Muggle society. History and wizards' involvement in it was his father's passion. Certainly, at every Christmas and birthday, his father received some sort of historical document or text.

He leaned back in his chair and half-listened to his father carry on about the Malfoys ("They're just as bad as the Blacks, claiming a false lineage they don't have!"), quickly moving on to the Boneses and the Abbotts. It was when his mother became cross at his father for some (according to her, at least) false remarks that James decided to go to bed. He didn't rather fancy hearing his mother and father argue about his mother's family (she had been an Abbott herself, born and bred just the same as his father right here in Godric's Hollow). Biding them goodnight he took the stairs two at a time to his room and proceeded to get ready for bed.

Once in his pyjamas, he took out the copy of the conversation Sirius recorded and studied it. He knew some of the things he had done in the past were shameful, but he also didn't believe that Lily was right in claiming that he was arrogant. After all, if the Slytherins are going to jinx him, why shouldn't he hex them before they got their chance? James knew Lily's heart was in the right place, but, being Muggleborn, she just didn't understand the pureblood vendetta; she was only in direct contact with the wizarding world for a short time each year and thus didn't have much exposure to it. He was surrounded by the vendetta all the time, however. James understood that you had to give back as good as you got with those types of wizards, and he wasn't about to change that. He wasn't sorted into Gryffindor for nothing after all.

Shaking his head, he decided that he had no other option but to fight against it. That blasted vendetta was going to be the end of the wizarding world as everyone knew it, and that blasted opinion of the redhead's was going to drive James to insanity one day as well. Everyday he fought those Death Eater hopefuls and everyday he fought to change Lily's opinion of him. Quite honestly, he wasn't able to distinguish between the two fights any longer.

He sighed and got up to put the transcript back into his trunk. He wasn't really in the mood for introspection tonight, and anyway, he knew his mother would come and wake him bright and early to de-gnome the garden and wanted to get a good night's rest before then. As he slid under the bedclothes his eyes fell on a picture he had taken in secret of Lily in fifth year. She was standing by the lake, her hair blowing in the breeze, wearing a red floral patterned dress and smiling with not a care in the world at someone out of the frame of the camera. It wasn't a wizarding photograph; James had used the Kodachrome camera he had received as a gag gift from Sirius, who admittedly tried to find every instance he could to use Muggle items instead of wizarding ones. James thought the camera was simply brilliant. He had used the entire roll of film that came with the camera taking pictures of Lily; he felt the nonmoving picture captured her as best as she was, both the Muggle side of her as well as the witch within.

In spite of the differences between the two, James rather thought that it was the most perfect way for her to be.


	2. Chapter 2

American Pie

Chapter Two

"_Did you write the book of love, and do you have faith in God above? If the Bible tells you so?"_

As James had predicted the night before, his mother woke him bright and early to de-gnome the garden. Yawning and clutching a piece of toast he had grabbed a moment before, he stumbled out into the yard where the gnomes were. Quickly cramming the toast in his mouth, he yanked one up off the ground and started swinging it, thus starting the process. He didn't stop for a break not once, and so it was well past nine when he finished.

Just as he had come back into the kitchen and was gulping down a large glass of water, the post arrived. He recognized his uncle Charlus' owl at once, and setting the glass down, he reached over and untied the letter from the owl's proffered talon. Once again, his uncle described the mischief Sirius had managed to cause at their family reunion. James laughed at the description of the joke he had played on his brother and how he had turned Bellatrix's hair pink. The very end of the letter hinted at his uncle growing tired of the Black family, but still he bade James a cheerful sounding farewell, and in the postscript told him to be looking for an owl from Sirius soon.

James put the letter aside for his parents to see later and walked out of the room, grabbing a bar of Honeyduke's chocolate as he went. He thought that Sirius' letter would come soon enough, but he wasn't about to sit around waiting. Stopping in the sitting room, he suddenly realized he was very bored, and had nothing interesting to do. There was just no hope for it; he would have to start on some of his homework just to pass the time.

Sirius' letter finally came while James was midway through his third paragraph on the essay Slughorn had assigned them about all the potions that were covered on the O.W.L. It was quite lucky that the letter arrived when it did, for James was beginning to, very rashly, make up which potions had been on the exam. Taking the letter from the tawny owl, he quickly unfurled the scroll, not bothering to offer the owl a treat before it flew off.

"'My most illustrious Messr. Prongs, Mere words cannot describe what hell the Blackest family hath doth put upon me. It seems as if my most illustrious brother has decided it beneficial to be as Slytheriny as possible and join He-Who-Must-Be-Lame at the first opportunity! Alas! If only dear Regulus had the heart of a lion, for if he did, he would not be crawling on hands and knees for a psychopath.

Anyway, Dearest Mumsy and I got in a rather little spot of bother yesterday. You see, she believes that I should do the same as the Cowardly Lion and brand myself with the Dark Mark. You can imagine my terror at the thought. 'Nay,' said I, 'I would rather forever gallivant with the centaurs and kiss dear Snivelly-poo until I'm blue in the face from the noxious fumes his head produces.' Ha, you can imagine the look on her face! She then spouted off the usual drivel…'"

"Blood traitor, shame of my flesh, Mudblood lover, how dare you besmirch the house of my forefathers," James paused and recited before carrying on reading the letter, which did indeed recite exactly as he had predicted.

"'Honestly Prongs, this is getting most wearisome. I know I am looking forward to getting to come visit and getting away from this. What would you say to my coming early? Hoping to see you soon, Sirius.'"

James immediately took out a new sheet of parchment and scribbled rather untidily, 'Padfoot- Please come as soon as you can. You're always welcome here; you know that. We can have biscuits everyday and eat sweets until our teeth all rot, and while we're at it, we'll go bother Moony for a bit for surely being the bookworm we all know he's being at this point in time. As for kissing dearest Snivellus, I would surely not do anything of the sort, and would rather kill myself before ever committing such an act. Shame on you for ever coming up with the idea! I'm just kidding about coming as soon as you can; I don't mean this instant! Stop gathering all your belongings in your trunk, take your wand out of your mouth, and put the motorcycle models back where they belong. That's a good boy. Just keep pranking them like Uncle Charlus says you are and then when the time comes for you to come over, come over! Looking forward to when you can visit, James.'

He sent his family owl off as soon as the bird flew through the open window and into the kitchen and the letter was tied to one of the bird's feet. James wasn't very concerned about Sirius; after all, it was like this at every holiday he spent at his London home. Nothing bad had ever happened before now, so why would this one be any different? He had to conclude that it wasn't.

Several days passed since he last wrote a letter to Sirius, but James wasn't worried that Sirius was in trouble. Frequently in the past when things weren't going his way, he would take a long time to respond to letters. That was just how Sirius was. Remus was always the one to respond quickly to letters, and Peter often took several days before he sent off a response. James himself would put it off for a day or two, but he always sent his letters off in fairly quick fashion. He wrote letters to Remus and Peter, and to Lily as well but he didn't expect a response from her. His mother flitted in and out of the house, and he barely got to see his father since the elder Potter was working so much.

The first time he had both parents home in the evenings to enjoy, it was raining heavily. Since he couldn't go outside to practice Quidditch, and his father was busy with paperwork anyway, James kept to his room to read Chasing for Numbskulls. Lightening flashes went off every few moments, illuminating his room and suddenly giving James the feeling that all wasn't quite as well as it should have been. Glancing nervously at the clock every two minutes, he tensed as he waited for some sort of signal. It was only when the storm subsided into a steady pattering and the lightening passed that he relaxed.

At half past, he decided to head into the kitchen for a cold glass of pumpkin juice. He stumbled down the stairs and opened the icebox. He deftly poured some juice into a glass he took from the cupboard, and drained most of it in one gulp. He refilled it and placed the jug of juice back into the icebox when he heard the doorbell suddenly ring.

"James would you answer that dear?" he heard his mother call as the doorbell chimed again.

He moved through into the hallway and approached the door. Just to be cautious, James peered through the peephole and gasped out loud. Wrenching the door open, he claimed, "Bloody hell Sirius, where'd you come from?"

And sure enough, there Sirius stood, sopping wet and looking as if he had just traveled across several counties. "From London, where else?" said Sirius. "Can I come in?"

James opened the door as wide as it could go and helped Sirius drag his trunk inside. Everything was soaking wet, water dripping from the corners of the trunk and Sirius' clothes. After the trunk was placed on the floor in the house, James took a good look at his friend. He was paler than James had last seen him, and looked as if he had lost a little weight. His hair hung lank and unkempt, and his eyes seemed duller than usual. He looked happier being at James' house, and slowly James watched the boy relax.

Neither boy knew what to say; or rather, they didn't need words to convey what they were feeling. James knew by Sirius' shifting gaze that he rather not mention the events that had led to his being at James' house in a raging storm with his trunk packed to the brim, and Sirius knew by James' scratching his head that he wanted to know what had happened that caused him to come all the way from London to Godric's Hollow (he also knew that James wouldn't push him into revealing those details just yet because of the small grin he gave Sirius after scratching his head).

"Mum will be surprised to see you," James finally said, grinning as wide as possible. "I dare say she'll even make you some pudding she'll be so happy."

"Yeah, well I hope so mate. I hope your parents don't mind."

James just grinned and turned to find his mother, who was rather surprised to see Sirius, but pleased too, and agreed that he could stay the rest of the summer. That was the best thing about Mrs. Potter; she didn't ask questions. The three of them enjoyed dinner in the kitchen (Mr. Potter wasn't home from work yet) in which much Quidditch, pranking, and summer plans were discussed, and Sirius' favorite pudding was served just for him.

After the three had finished eating, and Mrs. Potter had cleared the dishes and set them to clean themselves, the boys were lounging in James room. Nothing was really said between the two; contrary to most people's beliefs, the two boys didn't really have to fill every silence. Around a crowd, both liked to show off and be loud, but when it was just the two of them, they were frequently quiet. James was spread eagle on his bed playing with a model broomstick and Sirius was hanging his head out of James' window, gazing out at the stars.

"When will Mr. Potter be back home?" asked Sirius. While he knew that the Potters would welcome them with open arms, he knew Mr. Potter would want the story as to why he was there early and what had happened that made it that way.

"Should be any moment now. I know he's been working overtime a lot. He certainly looks like it any way," James trailed off.

"What is it?" Sirius turned towards James, pulling his head inside the room. James never sounded unsure; he was always the leader. Sirius had only heard that tone in his voice one time in his life, and he never thought he would hear it again.

"He's not looking too good mate. The whole village has had an outbreak of dragon pox. I think he's coming down with it." James frowned as he thought about the possibility.

"Has he been to St. Mungo's?"

"Not yet. He says he doesn't need to."

The boys fell into silence once more. Sirius watched as James rolled over onto his side away from Sirius. The enormity of the potential situation was lost on James. He had never lost a loved one, never lost a whole family, and so he didn't quite know how to handle anything even remotely close as a possibility of losing a parent. Sirius, who had lived practically his whole life not quite within the loop of his own family, knew all too greatly the pain of rejection from those who were supposed to love you, knew what it was to lose a family (albeit one that had never really wanted him), and knew that it could destroy you utterly if you let it. But Sirius didn't know how to communicate this to James. He didn't know what to say to make it better.

And Sirius did want to make it better; he didn't want his best friend to know that kind of hurt, especially the kind of hurt he knew he himself would go through should anything happen to the Potters. Sirius wasn't a very mature boy at sixteen years, but in some ways he was much older than sixteen. He had experienced being treated like a prince and then being excommunicated from that position. He had screamed and yelled and believed things that he didn't know if he really believed or really understood. He had lost an entire family, a way of life. He knew the hurt more than just about any other person. 'Except Remus,' Sirius thought. But Sirius doubted if Remus would even know the right words to say now.

Several minutes passed with neither saying a word to the other, wanting to reach out and say something but holding back each time because there simply wasn't anything to say. Fifteen minutes passed with the two boys not saying a word before the silence was broken by a crack from the backyard garden and the slamming of a door. Sirius and James got up and left the room to go downstairs. Mr. Potter had just arrived home, and both were eager to see him (even if it were for different reasons).

"Sirius!" exclaimed Mr. Potter when he saw the dark-headed boy standing in the kitchen. "You've grown since I last saw you. I hear you've been giving your family hell."

"Yes sir, I made sure to give them everything I could." Sirius grinned and shuffled his feet.

Mr. Potter surveyed him for a long moment. "Everyone, could I perhaps talk to Sirius alone?" he asked his wife and son, and both shuffled out of the room. "Sit down," he told the teenage boy once the room was clear. "What's going on?"

"Well, sir, I ran away from home."

Mr. Potter sighed, "I was afraid that would happen at some point. Why?"

"I just didn't want to live there anymore," Sirius stated. Mr. Potter sat there and watched him. "I've had enough of that pureblood mania, the holocaust. I don't feel the same way, nor do I believe that Muggles are any less than us."

"So? You're almost 17, and about to be on your own. Why should what they have said thousands of times matter so much this one time?"

Sirius hesitated.

"Look, I know James is listening in on our conversation, and you know I'll tell Godiva later on tonight before bed. You know you don't have any secrets in this house, so you might as well get on with it."

Sirius sighed and sat down at the kitchen table. "Regulus wants to be a death eater. And he wants me to join him." Mr. Potter stared at Sirius. "He told me last night, came into my room, and sat down and tried to persuade me to join in on the _festivities_," Sirius spat the word like it was poison on his lips. "I told him, 'No, I won't join that egomaniac. It's bad enough I have to put up with this shit from our mother, but I won't take it from you.' And then I hit him."

"You hit him?" Mr. Potter asked sharply.

"Yes, I balled my fist up and hit him square in the nose. Broke it in three places I think. Anyway, he ran to dear old Mumsy, and then she started threatening me. Told me that I was an ungrateful little wart, that I had besmirched the family name. She said I owed it to the family name to join, and not to result to Muggle fighting like a heathen. She said if I didn't pay my dues in one way, I would pay them in another. I told her I wasn't paying anything to the Black family name, that I didn't care what they thought I should be. I wasn't going to join anything. She screamed at me some more, and I shouted back a bit, and then my dad joined in."

"What did he say?"

"Said I didn't have to join, but I wasn't going to get a knut in inheritance if I didn't start acting like a Black soon. I told him it didn't make any difference to me. I didn't want it anyway. He called me a blood traitor, and screamed something about Mudblood influences. I tuned him, and that's when he took out his wand and cursed me."  
"What did he use?" Mr. Potter conjured a quill, bottle of ink, and a piece of parchment to write down the curse.

"I'm not sure," Sirius shook his head. "But it felt like a whip. He brought it across my face and when I turned away he did it to my back a couple of times. He did it nonverbally."

Mr. Potter scribbled his notes. "Then what?"

"They shouted some more. Said the same things. Then, my mother insulted James. She said I had no business hanging about with riff-raff like him, and I was forbidden from having any contact with him, and that I wasn't going to come here for the month of August. Something snapped in me. I pulled out my wand and sent stunning spells all over the place, shouted something like I was leaving, and ran to my room and packed everything in my trunk, left the house, and flew here."

Sirius fell silent as Mr. Potter continued to write. Finally, after several minutes, Mr. Potter put the quill down and looked at Sirius. "Do you want to press charges for the whipping hex?"

"No, I just want to be shot of that whole lot."

"Very well. You can go on up to bed then. I'm sure James has a lot of questions for you now." Mr. Potter stood and bade Sirius good night, and left the room. Sirius followed at a much slower, but James wasn't there in the hallway.

He walked the stairs to James' room and opened the door, only to find the older boy in his pyjamas. The two looked at each other until Sirius turned to look at Mr. Potter as he was closing the door of his and his wife's bedroom.

"Mr. Potter?" called Sirius, and Mr. Potter paused and looked at Sirius expectantly. It was in that moment that Sirius saw how old the man was getting. His hair was greying, his face was becoming heavily wrinkled, and the green hue on his cheeks suddenly struck Sirius as very ominous. "You're looking a little green around the gills."

Mr. Potter laughed. "Good night Sirius."

"Good night," Sirius called back, but the door was already closed. Sirius turned back to James. "You're right, he is looking pretty bad." He shut James' door, pulled his own pyjamas out of his trunk, tugged them on, and fell onto the blankets on the floor that were bolstered by a cushioning charm. James turned out the light, asking no questions for he didn't know if he wanted the answers just yet.

* * *

Thank you, Anonymous, for your review! Because of you, I decided to go ahead and post this! I hope to get chapter three done later this week, but it's going to be hectic because of midterms and a pageant I've got coming up!

Please review everyone!


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